As Texas prepares to take on Arizona State in the second round of the College Football Playoffs in Atlanta, the Longhorns have caught wind of some of the Sun Devils’ comments ahead of the matchup.
When discussing Texas junior quarterback Quinn Ewers, ASU’s redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt revealed his excitement and belief that he can outperform Ewers.
“I’m going to go prove why I’m the better quarterback,” Leavitt said.
The Oregon product has had an impressive run in his first starting season, bringing the Sun Devils to their first Big 12 Championship win in its first year in the conference. This was an unimaginable feat at the beginning of the season, with the Sun Devils being predicted to rank at the bottom of the conference standings. ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham mentioned how he likes his players to have a high level of confidence and that’s just the type of player Leavitt is.
“Everybody going to this game on both teams should feel like they’re the very best,” Dillingham said. “And if you don’t, if you don’t believe that you can win the football game … then you have no chance.”
Leavitt and Ewers have posted similar numbers throughout the season, holding a completion rate of 63.3% compared to Ewers’ 65.1% and throwing 24 and 26 touchdowns this season, respectively.
However, the Longhorns, and particularly Ewers, didn’t seem to think twice about Leavitt’s statement.
“I saw it, and I don’t really have anything to say about it,” Ewers said. “But they’ve been a fun offense to watch this year and just excited for the opportunity to get to play them.”
On the other end of the ball, freshman edge Colin Simmons took matters even further by reposting the viral quote to show his loyalty to Ewers, yet stated he doesn’t allow media to affect him. Simmons currently leads Texas with eight sacks on the season and will look for more come Jan. 1, when the two teams square off.
“It really goes in one ear and out the other,” Simmons said. “The whole team trusts Quinn (Ewers). That’s our quarterback, we’re going to roll with him and roll with what he do.”
While Ewers and Leavitt are two highly equipped players and this matchup could potentially be the best battle of quarterbacks in this year’s playoffs, Leavitt will have to face off against an elite Texas defense unlike anything he’s seen this season.
ASU offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo also recognizes the challenge that comes with facing the Longhorns defensive front.
“You’re playing against one of the best-ranked defenses — top 10 in almost every statistical category — in college football,” Arroyo told 247Sports. “This will be as good a defense as we’ve played.”
In a press conference on Dec. 31, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian mentioned how the team has rallied around Ewers this season and showed their confidence in the Longhorn quarterback as their leader. Specifically, Ewers showed his ability to be a leader early in the season when he fell to an injury and helped backup redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning through his first few starts.
Despite Leavitt’s comment, Manning noted that he has learned a lot from Ewers this season and to not count him out.
“Well, (ASU) had a good year, and feel like as a quarterback, you always want to think you’re the best,” Manning said. “So I kind of understand where he’s coming from, but Quinn’s a dang good quarterback. So I’m just excited for the game (and) excited to hopefully get a win.”
